The Pros of Cons
by Bob the Flying Monkey
Summary: The summer of their 15th year, Billy is sent to military school, leaving Mandy alone in Endsville without her 2 'bestfriends'. Who will be there to take their place? Read and find out. Have no fear! I have updated this and will continue to, hurray!
1. A New Alliance

_Disclaimer: I didn't own this 4 years ago when I originally posted it, and I don't own it now. I don't think it's possible for a minor to make enough money to buy rights in only four years. Well, at least not legally…_

**A/N: I am reviving this old fanfic of mine because I kept promising that I would, and Bob doesn't break her promises. She talks about herself in third person, but that's because she is a third person! I have also revamped the original two chapters, but only with minor touch-ups. Please enjoy this psychotic use of my time!**

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It was the summer of their 15th year. Billy had been sent to military school where he would remain the entire summer. Being as it was, Mandy was lacking in companionship and spent most of her time either alone or with one particular person…

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At the end of school, on the last day, Billy's parents had invited his friends from school over to their house for a small party. Among them, of course, was Mandy. Usually being the first to know everything, Mandy was surprised when Billy's mother called the attention to herself and proclaimed that she was making an important announcement. That's when she informed everyone that Billy would be spending the entire summer at a summer military school.

Though normally not one for feeling emotions, Mandy was thoroughly depressed by this. How was she to torment anyone when her idiotic follower would not be there to laugh at the victim until he realized the victim was in pain and then tried to stop her? And who would wake her up in the middle of the night just to ask her for pie? Well, she might could live without those things. But who would be at her side constantly to keep her entertained and not dying from boredom? Summer would be a burning eternity of nothingness without Billy and Grim around to entertain her. Grim, it had been decided, would be spending the summer with Billy.

After the party, Mandy did not return home. Instead, she fled to the one place where she could freely vent her feelings without curious eyes watching - the clearing.

The clearing was a secluded gap in the forest about 20 feet in diameter where no trees grew. When Mandy needed a place to go where she could safely let her emotions get the better of her, she would go to the clearing. No one else knew about it, not even Billy, for she only went there at night. She found that being alone in the wilderness with only stars as light helped her calm down. This was definitely a night that she needed to vent her feelings.

As soon as she reached the clearing, she ran to her favorite tree, an old oak with gnarled, twisted branches and a hollowed out trunk where she could safely stash her necessary items for venting her feelings: a pillow, a blanket, a towel, tissues, and a few punching bags. She immediately went to the punching bags, aiming first at the ever-ready one hanging from a branch. She punched it hard, many, many times, until her knuckles were split and bleeding. Mandy stared at the blood running through her fingers. She just stared at it. Then, with an aggressive howl of rage, she hit the bag again. And again. And again, and again. She didn't stop, even when the blood began to splatter all over her dress and her face.

At about that moment, when the blood became visible even in the dim light, he knew he had to act. Decidedly, the dark figure dashed across the space separating him from Mandy.

Mandy heard something running towards her from behind, but she did not turn around. She did, however, stop punching the bag, and instead held her quivering hands in front of her, still balled tightly into fists. She was breathing hard, both from exhaustion and from rage. She felt the figure wrap it's arms around her firmly, but she did not fight against it. Instead she crumpled to the ground, giving in to the tears. She sobbed into her hair, which had fallen into her face.

When Mandy had broken down, Junior didn't really know what to do. He let her take them both to the ground. The ground was good. It was easier to handle such a situation from a sitting position. He had never dealt with someone crying before, and therefore had no idea what he was supposed to do. Instinctively and without really thinking about it, he began to rub Mandy's back and shush her soothingly. He pulled her closer to himself, all the time rubbing her back and trying to calm her. She turned her body towards him, hair still in her face, and began weeping into his chest. Junior was alarmed, but didn't show it. He continued to rub her back and gently soothe her. After a while, her sobbing quieted and soon stopped altogether. Yet she kept her face rested on his chest, and he kept rubbing her back, although he had stopped talking.

After a few minutes in silence, Mandy spoke up. "Junior?" she asked quietly, smoothly, no evidence of crying in her voice.

"Yes?" he replied in a soothing voice.

"Do you hate me?"

"I do not hate you, Mandy. You are one of my closest friends."

"Will you stay with me this whole summer and make sure I'm not all alone?"

"Of course. Who else is there to be with?"

There was another long period of silence. Then, once more, Mandy broke it. She struggled with the word before finally grumbling, "Thanks."

"No problem."

After a while, Mandy sat up, pulling her face out of Junior's chest. She stared at him through her drenched hair. She noticed that he was bloody, covered in her blood. She let loose a short chuckle. Junior raised an eyebrow at her and she explanatorily pointed at his shirt.

"It will wash. But you are still bleeding. Let's get you cleaned up. Is there a creek around here?"

Wordlessly, Mandy stood and walked to her tree. She pulled out the towel, but immediately dropped it. She stared at her hands, reached for the towel, had it halfway up, and dropped it again. She snarled in outrage and punched the bag again. Junior quickly picked up the towel and slung it over his shoulder. He then followed Mandy as she led the way through the dark forest. They eventually came to a brook, not knee high. It was clear, but not for long. Mandy rinsed her hands in it and then splashed some of the cool water on her face. It felt wonderful against her skin. Just then she heard splashing and looked up to see Junior lying in the water on his back. He was soaked, but didn't seem to care. He actually seemed to be enjoying it. Then Mandy realized that where he came from there was no water and it was terribly hot. This must be something entirely new for him.

Junior looked up at Mandy and smiled at her. She was glaring at him, not in a hateful way, just in a Mandy way. He smiled again and beckoned to her.

Mandy didn't know what to do. Should she join him or not? If she didn't join him, what would he think? Wait, why did she care what he thought? Because she needed him for companionship, so that she wouldn't die of boredom this summer. Besides, what else would she do if she didn't get in the water? It was simply the most reasonable thing to do: join Junior in the water. Decidedly, Mandy entered the water, walking over to Junior and then hesitantly sinking to her knees beside his floating body. He sat up to where he was her height. Silently, they stared at each other, until it became awkward and one had to break the silence. This time, Junior broke the silence. "Will your parents be angry when you show up after dark and you are soaking wet?"

"They'll hardly even notice. Or care."

"Hmm." Junior didn't know how to reply.

"What about your parents?"

"By the time I get home, I will not be wet anymore."

Once again, they entered the uncomfortable silence. After a while, Junior splashed Mandy in the face. She glared at him, then splashed him in the face in retaliation. They began an all-out water war. When they got tired, they laid together in the murky water. _At least the blood is gone,_ Mandy thought.

For a few countless minutes, they lay together in the water, staring at the partially visible sky. Then it started to get cold, and they had to get out of the water. Mandy was shivering on land, so Junior brought her the towel he had hung in the tree. "Why did you bring a towel? Certainly you never expected to swim in the creek," Junior asked, handing it to her.

"No. I brought the towel for the reason that we came to the creek in the first place." She let him think about that.

"Do you do this a lot, then?" he asked, indicating her knuckles.

"No," she sighed, "But I knew I probably would someday. It's how I am."

"Oh." Again Junior was at a loss for words.

"Why did you follow me?" Mandy asked, changing the subject.

"I, uh… I thought you might, um… might have needed to talk." Junior said quietly. He scratched his head, embarrassed.

"Oh." Now Mandy was at a loss for words. She was starting to feel uncomfortable, vulnerable. She had let her guard slip - shown her true emotions - but didn't entirely regret it. Not yet. _I wonder why that is? _she questioned herself. _Now he knows I'm weak - that I feel emotions other than anger and hatred. _She speculated for a moment. Then she remembered,_ He saw me cry! _Mandy was in control enough now to keep herself from blushing of embarrassment. She wasn't about to let herself slip again.

"Soooo…" Junior began, prompting her, "Do you want to talk? We do not have to talk about Billy. Just whatever you want."

"I suppose. It's more logical than just standing here. Let's talk about… politics. What would you be if you could have any amount of power you wanted?"

"Easy. I would be some kind of a dictator over the entire world. Everyone would be my friend, and anyone who opposed or upset me would die."

"Very good. But why settle for the whole world when you could rule the whole universe?"

"Because that is your job. And I am not you. I understand both my rank and your rank in life, and I can fully see that you are much higher than I and quite my superior. I would not want to try to upstage you."

"Indeed, you do understand the order of life. Impressive. Billy never quite got that." Suddenly tears welled in Mandy's eyes, threatening to make an appearance. But just as suddenly as they came, they were gone. Yes, Mandy most certainly did have control over herself now.

Junior looked up at what little sky he could see from the bank of the stream. "It is getting late. Will your parents be worried if you do not go home soon?"

"Like I said, they'd hardly even notice." Then she added, "But we probably should head back up to the clearing." She started walking then, hastily, and Junior had to run to catch up.

"I am curious," Junior began, now level with Mandy, "Why is it that you want to rule the universe? We know I want to because I seek acceptance and friendship. But why do you?"

Mandy said nothing, and they continued to walk, neither looking at the other. Finally, she responded. "I am the dominant. Everyone should know that. Everyone." They continued not to look at each other, even when they spoke.

"What would be your first decree as Dictator of the Universe?"

Mandy chuckled darkly, "So many things. I think I would start with the eliminations, weeding out the weak from the strong."

Hesitantly, Junior furthered it, "Dare I ask, what would you do with the weak?"

Mandy shrugged her shoulders, "I'd put them to work in the fields, give them jobs that the strong shouldn't waste their abilities on. But it would be wasteful to kill them, if that's what you were asking. I'd only kill those who were of absolutely no use to me or that hindered my reign."

"What would you do about heirs?"

"I wouldn't need an heir. I would - will - find a way to make myself immortal."

"Living forever is no fun."

"What does fun have to do with power? 'Fun' is not what I'm concerned about."

"What are you concerned about, Mandy?"

She halted abruptly, but Junior didn't miss a beat and stopped just as she had. Mandy stared at him, and Junior couldn't read the expression on her face.

"Power," she answered simply.

They continued to stare at each other, not moving, barely breathing. Then Mandy replied, "What would you do for an heir?"

"I do not need an heir. I am immortal."

"Exactly. Why then do you ask me of an heir if you know immortality by-passes that necessity?"

_Oops, _Junior thought, horrified, _Does she know? _Junior mentally kicked himself, _Idiot! Now she knows! Wait, maybe she does not yet. Of course she does, idiot! She is not an idiot, unlike you!_

"I - I…" _Think!_ he commanded himself. "I-y was just curious. Yeah. The thought of anyone being good - or evil - enough for you was just hard to imagine." He grinned innocently.

Mandy saw right through his façade. She knew what he had unintentionally been hinting at. But she decided not to let him know she knew, not yet. She put on a façade of her own, using a face that expressed her false lack of knowledge. "Oh," was all she said in a light, resolved tone. Indeed, she had mastered her deceptiveness well.

Internally, Junior breathed a sigh of relief. _That was close,_ he told himself.

They continued then to walk to the clearing. When they reached it, they seated themselves under the tree. They sat cross-legged, facing each other.

"What else shall we talk about? Other than the future?" Junior prompted. "Oh, I know! Let's talk about the good times. You know, fun memories with our friends and such."

"I'm a 15-year-old girl bent on world domination. I don't have fun times or friends to share them with."

"And I am a – technically speaking – 15-year-old boy bent on world domination. I am also an immortal demon with 'scary' tentacles. And I will tell you, I have had some rather fun times."

Mandy considered that for a moment. "I'm not really one for reminiscing, but I'll try. You start."

"Um, okay. Well, there was that one time when that whore Mindy was messing with us at lunch, and I got so annoyed that I electrocuted her and she stopped breathing…"

"Yeah," Mandy laughed briefly, "I remember that day. That was a great day."

"Your turn," Junior said.

"Okay. Let me think. Um, that day in seventh grade, the day before the dance, when I decided to wear make-up – and I still don't know what I was thinking – and every single boy (well, except for two) in the school asked me to go with him. That day was great because I told each one that I would go with him, and then I didn't show up at all. A gym full of kids ready to dance and every single one was a boy!"

Remembering it, they both burst into fits of laughter. **[A/N: Oh, no! Every time Mandy laughs, a third-world country explodes.]**

"Yeah," Junior cried through his cackling, "That was great!"

Quickly, they sobered themselves and returned to the conversation. "Let's see," Junior pondered, "How about that time when we turned Irwin into a spider –"

"And Billy wouldn't talk to him for a month." Mandy concluded. "That was okay, but not as hilarious as the time we tricked Mindy into a date with Sperg by completely changing his appearance with a potion."

"Oh, I remember that. They went to a movie together and in the middle of it, the potion wore off…"

"And she leaned over to kiss him, but when she looked up afterwards, she realized who he was!"

"That was _the_ greatest prank we ever conceived together." Junior exalted.

"Yeah," Mandy sighed, "Those were the days. Torturing others and always getting away with it. Good times."

Junior smiled. He looked up at the cloudless, starlit sky, then sighed. "It is late. Father's going to be angry if I do not get home soon."

"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow, then. Will you be there in the morning to see Billy off?"

"Of course. I am his cousin after all."

"Will you miss him?" Mandy unwillingly asked after an awkward pause, only to be answered by another one.

After a while, Junior sighed and responded, "Yes. I will miss him greatly, but he will be back before the first day of school. Three months without Billy will not kill me."

_But will it me?_ Mandy questioned herself despairingly. _No. _she decided firmly, _I can make it without that idiot for one entire summer. It won't kill me, either._ But still she had doubts.

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**A/N: Okay, this was the first chapter of my first **_**real**_** fanfic. I hope you liked it. Remember to R&R. Mesa likes da reveiws!**


	2. Billy's Descent

_Disclaimer: If you look out your window, you will notice there is a lovely world you are ignoring to read this fanfic some teenager wrote to parody a cartoon she doesn't own when she could have also been playing outside._

**A/N: This is the second chorus change. Please enjoy this psychotic rhapsody I am playing for you from my heartstring. **

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The next morning, Mandy woke up to the sound of her nearly-silent alarm clock. It was set to this volume because Mandy did not want to wake her parents. It wasn't that she was considerate of their feelings; she just hated having to talk to them when it was unnecessary. She stumbled out of bed, quietly dressed herself in her regular outfit, and headed down the stairs and out the door. She had prepared herself to walk to Billy's house alone like she usually did, but when she turned to face the street after quietly shutting her front door, she found that that would not be the case this morning. Standing on the sidewalk, leaning casually against her mailbox, was a tall, dark figure. He was a dark figure because the early morning sun was shining brightly in her eyes, causing her sight to be impaired.

As she walked down the walk-way, the figure shifted to an upright position, and in doing so blocked the sun from Mandy's eyes and the figure's identity became clear to her at once.

"Junior?" she asked skeptically, "Why are you standing in front of my house? At 6:30 a.m.?"

He smiled at her smugly, and in some insane part of Mandy's mind, she found it attractive. _Stop it!_ she commanded her conscience, _You cannot think that way! Just because he cares about you doesn't mean you have to respond the same way!_

Junior smirked at her, then downgraded to a less-offensive smile. He knew they both understood that he understood his inferiority to her, so he knew she would understand that his smile was a joke. "Can't a friend walk with another friend to a third friend's house?" he asked innocently, then added, "Plus the route I take to Billy's house passes your house, so I thought I might as well walk with you there. It's simply more convenient."

Mandy looked at him charily, then shrugged her shoulders and began her walk to Billy's house, Junior walking right beside her.

Junior, though he would rather be much closer, maintained a constant arms-length between himself and Mandy. He wanted her to like him, but he knew he had to give her space or else she wouldn't even allow him the chance to talk with her, much less become her friend. He already thought of himself as her friend, but not as close of a friend as he wanted. Even though they had been in school together since he was born (she was about ten at that time, however), he knew he was nowhere near as close a friend to her as Billy was_. But maybe this summer will change that,_ he hoped, _Maybe Billy's leaving is the perfect way to get a hold on her heart. If this works, I will have to remember to thank cousin for his leaving. If this works._

In Mandy's head, the thoughts were quite different. _Why does that stupid boy have to leave me?_ she sneered inwardly, _Stupid parents! What good is military school ever gonna do this boy? He's not equipped to handle any form of a weapon. He's not designed for combat. He's supposed to be the one who rallies all the troops together and gets them prepared for battle, but he's not actually supposed to fight himself! Stupid parents! Stupid military school! Stupid humans! Stupid, stupid, stupid!_

For an uncomfortable length of time, Junior contemplated talking to Mandy. He couldn't decide whether he should or not. He did not know if Mandy was in the mood to talk, but he thought that if he did not act now, he wouldn't get the chance to. So he casually asked, "How are you this morning_?" What the heck?! You take fifteen minutes to contemplate talking to her and all you can say is 'How are you?'!_

She didn't turn or slow as she answered, "K."

Junior kicked himself internally. Obviously she didn't want to talk_. That's okay. You have the entire day and the entire summer after this to talk to her. Let her get through with this before you try to charm her. It's illogical to comfort her before she needs it, anyway. Just wait._

They continued to walk in silence. When they reached Billy's house, Junior turned to walk through the gate, but stopped when he felt Mandy's presence leave his side. He turned to look at her, and immediately regretted it. The quickest flash of unfathomable sorrow filled Mandy's large eyes. It was just a millisecond flash, but Junior had seen it nonetheless. He felt ashamed, almost as if he had violated her private mind. He looked down at his feet, holding the gate open for her but not daring to look at her. He didn't want her to hate him for catching a glimpse of her true feelings. She had always been so good at keeping her feelings under control. Junior had never realized just how much Mandy cared for Billy. The briefest hint of jealousy flashed through his mind, but he silenced it immediately. He shouldn't feel that way toward his cousin. He loved his cousin, in the family sense of the word. And, after all, it was his cousin that introduced Mandy to him.

Mandy hesitated at the gate, taking a moment to get her feelings under control. She put on her frown, not her regular, uncaring frown, but the frown she reserved for exceptionally unpleasant occasions. She walked slowly up the concrete footpath, past Junior, who looked as if he were bowing to her, his head bent so. He followed after her as she walked to the door. It opened before she knocked, revealing a deeply somber Billy. He greeted his friends with a pasted-on smile, his huge, forlorn eyes exposing its lie. Junior recognized the look in Billy's eyes – it was the exact look Mandy's eyes had had moments before.

Billy moved aside and let them enter. Inside, Grim, Irwin, and Pud'n stood uncomfortably in the center of the room, not speaking. They looked up at the three when the door was shut. Junior joined the other three boys in the center of the room. But Mandy and Billy did not follow. They stood together at the door, staring at each other sadly. Billy shot a sharp glance at the others, and without further instruction, the four boys left the room, shuffling up the stairs and out of earshot, giving Billy and Mandy the privacy that they demanded.

Mandy stared at Billy, her face set in a hard frown, willing her emotions to keep quiet until it was safe. When she heard the door shut upstairs, she continued not to break. Billy stared at her, and suddenly his eyes filled with tears. Mandy could no longer hold back her feelings. She broke down and let the silent tears flow, pressing herself into Billy's now-open arms. Billy was just a head taller than her. Mandy pressed her face into his chest as he wrapped his arms around her torso, his hands resting gently on her upper back. He rested his chin on the top of her head as the tears ran silently down his cheeks, pattering down on Mandy's blonde hair. When the silent sobs began to rack her body, Billy rubbed her back soothingly, then rested his lips on her head. He kissed her hair lightly, not wanting to imply something he did not mean. It only took a minute for Mandy to calm herself enough to stop the shaking and the flow of tears. Yet she kept her face pressed against Billy's chest.

It had been quite a few minutes and Billy had still not called them back into the room. "I wonder what they're doin' down there, yo," Irwin said, shifting uncomfortably.

"I bet they're making out!" Pud'n said maliciously, just to agitate Irwin, who still "sort of has a huge thing for Mandy," as Pud'n put it.

"Shut up, yo!" Irwin whined. Pud'n snickered at him.

"Just let them be, mon. They'll be finished soon," Grim said.

"'Finished with what?' is the question!" Pud'n hinted sardonically, snickering again.

"Let's not, okay," Junior said, growing uneasy. Then, to cover his remark, he said, "Billy's leaving for a long time and we are in his room making fun of him. How cruel is that. Plus, don't even make me bring up what Mandy would do to you if she found out what you were saying." Everyone immediately fell silent from that remark.

Back downstairs, Billy and Mandy had been listening in on the conversation that just took place in the paragraph above. Mandy, despite the current situation, had an evil gleam in her eyes that signals to anyone who knows her well that she is harboring a brilliantly terrible plan. She smiled wickedly at Billy and proceeded to explain her plan to him. He nodded in agreement, mirroring her wicked, evil smile.

Upstairs, the group of four thought they heard Billy calling them. They opened the door and walked quietly down the stairs, ready to say their goodbyes. But when they reached the bottom, their glum faces turned to shock. What they saw knocked the breath out of them. Billy and Mandy, making out! They could not move, unable to think, unable to breathe. But two seconds later, the couple before them abruptly stopped, turned, and broke down in hysterical laughter. They were laughing so hard, tears were streaming down their faces, and they fell to the floor, unable to control themselves.

The four boys stared at them, shock and confused. Then Pud'n started laughing, too. Then Grim. Junior and Irwin glanced at each other, confused.

"They played a joke on us!" Pud'n cried through his hysterics.

"What!" Irwin was outraged.

"Oh! I get it." Junior sighed internally with relief.

Mandy finally regained herself, "I hoped you didn't really think me and Billy…"

"No! We were just playing along, yo," Irwin lied unconvincingly.

"Yeah, I could see how you were 'just playing along.' The look on your faces was enough evidence to that," Billy said sarcastically. "But seriously, me and Mandy? You couldn't really have thought…"

"Well, why do you think we were all so shocked. We did not expect that," Junior replied. Then he turned to Pud'n, "I guess you were right, though."

Billy and Mandy started laughing again, though not as hard. "We heard you upstairs. Honestly, Pud'n, what kind of a cruel person are you? Making fun of your friend on his last day at home? Terrible, terrible," Billy scolded him playfully.

Suddenly, the mood darkened, because everyone forgot the joke and remembered their real reason for being there. Grim looked at his watch, "It's time to go," he stated emotionlessly. He floated to the door, grabbed the handle and opened it slowly, waiting for Billy.

Billy gave everybody one more hug, then picked up his bag and headed out the door. The others followed him dolefully, their shoulders slumped. They watched with dull eyes as the bus for military school pulled up in front of the house. Grim stepped into the bus first. Billy stopped at the door, took one last glance at his home and his friends, then went in and the bus drove off, out of sight.

The small group of friends stood rooted to the spot for a few minutes. Then Pud'n asked, "What do we do now?"

Irwin shrugged, then walked off, saying, "I'm goin' back to bed, yo."

Junior and Mandy did not reply. They did not move. They did not shift. Junior did not breath, and Mandy only barely. After a few seconds, Pud'n ran after Irwin. "Wait up," he yelled half-heartedly.

Still Mandy and Junior did not move, speak, or even acknowledge the presence of the world. After what seemed like never and forever, Junior arose from his subconscious thoughts. He stared at Mandy, who still had not come back into the real world. Junior tried to read her expression, and found he could not. It was a strange expression on her face, one he couldn't possibly understand, much less describe. Yet he continued to stare at her, trying to dissect her features.

After a while, Mandy came back into the real world, acknowledging her surroundings and such. She also acknowledged that Junior was staring at her in an odd, curious kind of way. She did not move yet, trying to dissected his expression out of her peripheral vision. When she got tired of that, she moved, letting him know that she was awake from her thoughts. He looked almost startled when she moved suddenly, but only briefly did he look this way. He sort of smiled at her, a "cheer up" smile, but she most certainly could not comply, at least not so soon. She looked forward, down the road where there were still no cars. It was a Saturday morning, and no one in Endsville was ever up this early on a Saturday morning. She decided, being as it was, that it would be safe to walk in the middle of the street, just until she arrived at wherever she was going. With that resolved, she walked straight forward, right into the street, only turning when she reached the middle to continue down the street. Confused, but without hesitation, Junior followed her, walking right alongside her as was his self-inflicted habit. He did not question her. He had learned early from Billy's errors that what Mandy commanded was law, and that you did not question it if you were smart. He had yet to suffer greatly by Mandy's hands (other than that one incident at winter camp), so he trusted her to lead the way.

After a few minutes, Junior was getting uneasy. He did not recognize the path they had taken, yet he did not want to anger Mandy by asking foolish questions. When he could no longer contain himself, he asked, "Where are we going?"

Mandy did not answer for a long time. Then, "I don't know. We'll see."

Junior didn't know what to do, so, like Billy, he just followed her lead. After a few more minutes, they came to the end of the road, but instead of stopping or turning back, Mandy made a sharp left into the field. Junior was completely unfamiliar with the area, and had no idea what to expect. He concentrated on thinking about the possibilities of what might be in store for them ahead and didn't notice when Mandy suddenly took off running in a diagonal direction until she had gotten so far away that he almost couldn't relocate her. When he did spot her, he took off after her.

_For such a small person, she sure does run fast,_ he thought as he ran at full speed after her. His legs were longer than hers, and with the aid of his supernatural strength, he was quickly nearing her. But suddenly, she disappeared completely from his sight. Junior blinked twice. He couldn't see her. When he approached the spot where he'd seen her disappear, he stopped to look around. The grass was so tall, it reached his shoulders, a little over Mandy's height. _She probably didn't stop running at all. She's probably still running. This damn grass. I can't see a thing._ Frustrated, he tried to think of a way to see over the grass or possibly through it. Then he remembered his heritage. _Duh, stupid._ He quickly uncoiled his tentacles, spreading them to their full length and then some. He rose high over the grass, until even his toes could not touch the tops. He considered briefly what he would look like to an unsuspecting mortal, but quickly disregarded it because he didn't care. He scanned the field, searching for his target. When he found her, some hundreds of meters off, going a different direction than when he had last seen her, he narrowed his eyes, locking onto her like a missile on an enemy ship, and began to pursue her on his tentacles. It was much easier to keep track of her when he was so high up. Plus the extra length and strength of his tentacles made him faster, and he quickly gained on her until they were only 10 yards apart. Then suddenly, she collapsed, the waves of grass taking her under. Junior pushed himself harder to get to her, sinking to his feet when he reached her. He pushed the now-over-his-head grass apart and sank to his knees beside her unmoving body. Instinctively, he checked her pulse, finding it alarmingly faster than was normal. She had pushed herself too hard, and when she could no longer take the stress, she collapsed. It was her body's way of protecting itself from overuse.

Junior was frightened. He didn't know what to do. He had seen mortal television shows that had shown how to restart a heart when it quit beating. But what was he supposed to do when the heart was going way too fast? Maybe he should let her rest, just let her lay there for a while while her heart slowed down. But it was so hot out here, he suddenly realized. Not to him, because he was used to such heat. But to a mortal human, this heat could be overpoweringly damaging. He had to get her out of it. _But where can I take her? Where? Where?_ Then he had an idea. Gently, he picked her up horizontally, holding her close to his body for easier travel. Again, he rose up on his tentacles. He ran towards the woods, about a mile from that spot, pushing himself harder than he ever had before. When he arrived at the woods, he kept running, desperately search for what he knew had to be there. Finally, he spotted it. Upon entering his destination, he slipped to his feet, retracting his tentacles and stumbling a bit on impact. But he immediately regained his balance. He continued to run, not stopping until he hit the water, which slowed him involuntarily. This section of the creek was deeper, and it reached up to Junior's waist before he stopped. He held Mandy in the water away from himself, remembering to keep her head above water so she could breath. He stared at her anxiously, impatient for her to wake. He monitored her heart, keeping tabs on it for change in speed. His plan seemed to be working, the lukewarm water relaxing her body and at the same time keeping her from overheating. After a while, he noticed her breathing start to return to normal. He sighed in relief. Perhaps now she will wake up. Slowly, Mandy's eyes began to flutter, until they opened completely. She looked confused, but when she realized her position, she quickly righted herself, pushing away from Junior, who was smiling at her.

"WHAT THE?!" she shouted at him, "What are you doing? Why were you touching me? What is wrong with you?! Are you out of your mind?!" She looked at him as if he were crazy. "And what are you smiling at?"

But Junior did not answer. Instead he tried to approach her. But she backed away defensively, bringing her fists up in front of her above the water.

"Did you not hear me? What's your problem?" Mandy continued to shout at him.

Junior struggled for words. He didn't want her to be angry with him. "I - I - I was worried about you. You passed out back there and… I was only trying to help." Junior was angry now. He had tried to help her, and she was yelling at him. He added hostilely, "I could've just left you there. I didn't have to waste so much energy carrying you here." He looked at her indignantly. He almost expected her to yell back, like in the movies, and for the argument to continue for a long time without either admitting their guilt. He also almost half-expected her to apologize, but he knew for certain that would not happen. As it was, she did neither.

Mandy's expression softened to its normal hardness and she let her fists fall. "Oh," she said simply. She half nodded her head, and Junior knew to take it as her way of saying thank you. He, too, let his face soften. He mimicked her and half-nodded in response, as if saying "That's okay."

The two stood in their spots for a while, neither knowing what to do. Eventually, Mandy decided to get out of the water, and Junior followed her lead. They exited from the opposite bank of where they had entered. Junior shook himself a little to rid the water from his skin, but Mandy did nothing.

She stood there, drenched and confused. "You didn't tell me," she said to Junior, "How did we get her? What happened? I remember running, then…"

"Yeah, I guess you passed out from the heat or something. I picked you up and ran you over here and put you in the water to cool you down. I thought it might help. I guess it did." Junior scratched his neck. He was kind of embarrassed. He didn't know what she'd think of him picking her up and carrying her around.

Mandy didn't know what to think. On one hand, she felt agitated with him for making her feel weak. But on the other, she was sort of thankful that he had… rescued her. _What a terrible word_, she thought, S_urely there must be a better word than that, one not so degrading. _"Okay," she replied curtly.

"Okay," he repeated with a nod. Junior looked around absently. "So, what do you want to do? We've got all day. When do you have to be home?"

Mandy gave him a look. "Oh, that's right," Junior amended, "I forgot."

"All day, huh?" Mandy thought aloud. Inwardly, she smiled.

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**A/N: If it seems choppy, that's because I'm working with a story I wrote 4 years ago. I had started a third chapter, but it got deleted twice, and I can't remember either of them since it was so long ago. But I will post soon. I just have to remember the direction I was taking the story.**


	3. Descent To the Centre of the Earth

_Disclaimer: I own the right to speak, to petition, and to poop in the privacy of my fenced backyard. But I do not own the right to call _The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy_ mine._

**A/N: I was desperately searching the recesses of my memory banks for the plot of this chapter, offering bribes to any brain cell that could point me in the right direction. All to no avail. And so I said "Screw it. I'll just wing it." And thus this was spawned:**

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"A whole day, huh?" Mandy asked. She pressed her finger to her bottom lip. "Now what can be done with a whole day?" She glanced at Junior, who seemed to be hiding an idea from her. "You got something to say?"

Junior shrugged. "We could always terrorize the neighboring city. Father taught me how to use my powers to extend the magnitude of my size and abilities. He told me not to use it against humans, but technically I am using it in the pursuit of a friend. Father always encouraged friendship." He tossed her a conspiring smile.

Mandy nodded, her blood pumping with the satisfaction of a well-played hand. "Sounds tempting, but I haven't the powers to join you."

Junior frowned his sympathies, then reversed it to determination. "Then that shall be our conquest. We shall find a way for you to gain powers. Then we shall terrorize as many civilizations as we desire."

Mandy nodded. "That's more like it. But how will I get these powers? Grim's not around to show me the way anymore." A flicker of sadness crossed her eyes, but she crushed it instantaneously.

Now Junior was stumped, for he hadn't needed to search for powers – he'd been born with them. He didn't know where to look, but he knew someone who did. "I know the place to start," he told her, "but I will have to change form before going there. You, however, should be fine." Junior curled into himself and dropped to the ground, writhing and shedding his white skin as the nergal covering underneath sprang forth. When he reemerged, he was taller, handsomer, and more deadly, a gleaming black figure in an otherwise bright clearing. He offered her his hand, his green slits of pupils staring down at her, taking in her surprised face with pleasure.

Mandy couldn't help but be impressed by how terrifying this side of Junior looked. With those long, slender tentacles pumping with electricity, he could do some serious damage. But admiration would have to wait until later; she had a mission to complete. Mandy pressed her hand into his, and a tremor coursed through her stomach as their skin touched, warmth meshed and sweat mingled. _No, _she scolded the naughty organ, _No. We aren't going to act that way._

Junior was unaware of Mandy's inner struggles, for he had his own to deal with. Slight alarm heightened his senses as he felt every wrinkle and etch of her palm against the smooth, black skin of his. He discreetly wrapped his digits around her hand, relishing in the only warm part about this girl he wanted so badly. _Want to _know_ so badly,_ he corrected himself. "Mandy?" he asked, his voice several octaves higher than a question needed to be. He cleared his throat as she gave him her attention, "Are you ready to meet my father?"

Mandy nodded. "Take us there." _Us,_ she lingered on the word.

_Us,_ he repeated in his thoughts, her alluring voice echoing through his brain. "Right," he said, and with that, opened the portal to his home.

* * *

The trip to the belly of the earth was not as impressive to Mandy as many of the other trips she'd taken with Grim to various mythical places, but she particularly liked this one due mainly to her new travel-companion – the tall, dark, and handsome demon-spawn wound tightly around her stubby finger. They landed inside the red walls of a surprisingly cool hallway. "Mum, Dad, I'm home," Junior shouted out, neglecting to let go of Mandy's hand. He didn't forget; he just thought it would send the wrong message if he let go first. He would let Mandy dictate that action.

Mandy, too, neglected to release Junior's hand, though not for the same reason. She just liked the foreign feel of a warm, soft hand in hers. However, when the Nergal's shadow smothered the wall of the hallway, she did let go, for no other reason than she didn't want his commentary on the matter. Nergal smiled at the children in his home. "Ah, you brought a friend home. That's wonderful, my boy! Come in, come in. Please make yourself at home. My wife is in the kitchen making tea." He led the two teens into another, brighter room where a middle-age blonde woman was pouring a glass of tea for herself. She acknowledged the trio with a jerk of her head, then dove into her iced beverage.

"Dad, Mandy and I were talking today, and we were wondering how mortals achieve powers," Junior began straight away. He looked up at his father with innocent eyes. "Could you perhaps show us how? Mandy would not mind if you used her as an example."

Mandy affirmed the remark with a short nod. Nergal gazed at the two younglings, then smiled and boomed, "An excellent suggestion! Let us go straight to it, then. I keep my books in the study." He walked briskly out of the room, and they followed. He led them into a darker, colder room with mahogany panels and luscious, deep-red arm chairs. He gingerly pulled a thick book with a cracked, gray cover from the shelf and flipped expertly to the page of his choice. "Now, it is a very complex thing to give a mortal powers, but for my best friend Mandy, it is no trouble at all," Nergal grinned sincerely. He laid the book out on the table and place a long, black finger on the page for them to look. To Mandy, the ancient text looked like Greek, but Nergal would know what it said, and she trusted him not to be naïve enough to try to trick her. "The first thing we need are the ingredients: toad stool, dog saliva, hair from a pixie, and a jar of dirt."

"A jar of dirt should be easy," Junior declared.

"From Alaska," Nergal added.

Mandy narrowed her eyes at him. "Why Alaska? Why not the Underworld or an old witch's cottage or something? At least give us some adventure."

"But my dear child, Alaska is an adventure! The jar of dirt is most crucial in that you must carry it from Homer to Kodiak Island and get dirt from each place before bringing it back here. You might want to get that last, as it will take the most time and energy. But I will provide you with the jar. You just need to get the dirt. And I will provide you with money for the ferry tickets to get to the island. Now off with you! I will begin on the spell when you return with all the ingredients."

* * *

**A/N: The next chapter will be longer, seeing as they will be going to Alaska, where misadventures run rampant. And don't worry – it won't take me four years to post the next chapter. Pinky swear.**


	4. A Tisket, A Tasket

_Disclaimer: If you can't get the rights, don't do the writes. I don't have the rights, so I obviously didn't do the writing._

**A/N: I feel like a love-struck teen again! This story is whisking me away to a place I long to go – the grand freedom-field of Alaska!**

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"Collecting the first two things should be simple," Junior declared as he studied the list of ingredients his father requested. "Toad stool and dog saliva. Do you know where toadstools grow?"

"My house should have those first two. It's the pixie hair I'm not looking forward to. I used to know where a colony of pixies were, but I ran them off several months ago."

"Ran them off?" Junior asked with bemused interest.

Mandy nodded. "Billy and Grim dragged me on a picnic in a meadow behind his house. The pixies lived in the trees around there, had nests built all over the place. Billy thought it would be funny to put mayonnaise in my PB&J. I thought it would be funny to shove the sandwich in his mouth and hurl him across the field. He smashed into the main pixie tree, jettisoned the entire village from the bark. Their houses were ruined, so they left after beating the crap out of Billy. It was amusing, but now I don't know where they are."

"We could always check the area for leftover remnants, such as hair," Junior suggested.

"It's been at least four months. I'm sure whatever they left is long gone by now, blown away by the wind." Junior scrunched up his brow in a puppy-like manner, and Mandy groaned. "We'll look, but I seriously doubt we'll find anything."

Junior grinned. He flexed his obsidian muscles and pocketed the paper. "So… your house or Billy's?"

Mandy snorted in amusement. "Billy's first. I don't want to carry those mushrooms any longer than I have to."

"I can carry them for you," Junior volunteered.

"I plan on you carrying them. I just don't want to smell them. Also, my dog Saliva will be coming with us to your father's lab. I'm leaving him there until we get back from Alaska. I don't trust my parents not to set him free in the desert while I'm away. They never liked that drooling mutt."

"Is he your one tender spot?" Junior teased, to which Mandy elbowed him sharply in the gut.

"No, but I like having stupid things around me. It provides me an outlet for my sarcasm and derision at any given moment. I could do the same with any type of person, but you have to be stupid to trust me with your life."

Junior chuckled, and Mandy calmed at the warmth of the sound. They stopped in front of Billy's desolate-looking house, their tiny eyes gazing up at the dismal monstrosity before them. Junior pushed nonchalantly through the gate and wound around to the back of the house, Mandy speeding up to keep pace with him. "You will have to show me to this meadow, but I will do the looking myself, since I know you do not wish to waste your time and effort on something you absolutely _know_ is not there."

Mandy glared at him. "You're acting different. An hour ago, you were so reserved and humble. Now you're starting to sound like me."

Junior shrugged. "This body heightens the parts of my personality that agree with it. I suppose, since I am acting like you, I should give you my body." He winked at her.

Not to be upstaged, she kicked him in the shin, and his knee buckled. "You haven't earned the right to talk to me that way yet. Keep your attitude in check or I'll dump you down the nearest well."

Junior got to his feet, a smirk highlighting the attractive nature of his smoldering face. "Yes, Mistress."

Mandy turned sharply and pulled ahead of him, guiding him through the woods and into a radiant meadow. She pointed at a tall tree draped in vines with bright-colored flowers protruding from their flesh. "That's the tree. Go right ahead and look for pixie hair – I'll be sitting over there."

Junior stooped down in the grass at the base of the maple and pawed the abandoned pixie nests scattered around it. He picked up a particularly promising comb and cracked it open. There on the far wall, a long, blue strand of pixie hair gleamed in the sunlight. Gingerly, he picked it out and brought it to Mandy, smiling like a dog returning with a stick. Mandy crossed her arms. "Alright, you found the first ingredient. Let's hurry to my house and get this over with."

They started off across the field, Mandy leading him through the trees like it all was part of her backyard. Junior followed closely behind her, pinching the hair between his fingers like a microscopic leash attached to the most important possession he had. He knew they'd reached Mandy's house when they were greeted by the barking of a squatty, white dog with brown spots and large globs of drool pooling in the folds of its mouth. "Quiet, Saliva," Mandy ordered, and the dog immediately flopped down on its back. She sighed, "Stupid animal never gets it right." She picked up a blue leash from a lawn chair and clipped it to the dog's collar. Then she turned and pointed past Junior, "There's a ring of white mushrooms over there. Take as many as you like." She returned to the lawn chair and picked up a small, plastic pale beneath it. Then she headed off across the yard and scooped something into the bucket, then snapped a lid with slits over the top. This in one hand and Saliva's leash in the other, she waited for Junior to return with his ingredients.

Junior linked arms with her, and when she raised an eyebrow, explained, "My hands are full, and I need to be touching you in order to take you home with me." He glanced down at her luggage. "What is with the bucket?"

"You'll see when we get there. Are you ready?" Junior nodded. "Then let's go." That said, they disappeared in a whirl of red dust.

They reappeared inside the same hallway as before, but instead of waiting for Nergal to greet them, headed directly to his laboratory. He smiled at the two teens when they walked in, dumping their findings on the table. Junior placed the pixie hair carefully into his father's hand. Nergal examined their load. "What is this?" he asked, picking up a mushroom.

"Toadstool," Junior replied, "It was on the list."

"Not _toadstool_, my dear boy. Toad Stool. As in the excrements from a certain amphibian."

Junior averted his eyes in embarrassment. "Oh."

"Luckily, I knew what he meant," Mandy said, dropping her cage onto the table. Nergal pried open the grill top and lifted a bumpy, brown toad from its depths. "You should find it has already soiled itself," Mandy added, which was proven as the stench wafted up from the belly of the bucket.

Nergal dumped the animal into an aquarium below the table and smiled at them. "Now, for the dog saliva."

Mandy jiggled the leash in her hand. "Here's the dog Saliva. He has more than enough drool for you to take. You will watch him while we're in Alaska getting the dirt."

"Another friend!" Nergal exclaimed, picking up the dog as it bounced into his arms, leaking drool from its floppy lips. "Excellent! Now I will have something to pass the time while I wait for you to find the last – and most important – ingredient. Here is your jar. I suggest you pack quickly – your ride leaves in an hour."

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**A/N: Next chapter will be in Alaska! YAY!**


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